Thursday, February 28, 2013

What the W stands for

Keen observers will have been watching the large letter W which God, in his wisdom, has etched into Tony Blair’s forehead. It is becoming more evident as the years progress. For all his money there is little that can be done short of a “forehead job” to hide this branding. But in fairness, when you are a warmonger your forehead ought to be etched with the letter “W” so that everyone knows how you made your riches on earth. George W. Bush’s branding is in his name. Well, this is my interpretation of what the “W” stands for, although I am aware that others might have different ideas about its meaning. For those who missed Blair's 'confession' on BBC Newsnight last night, here is a photograph of the former prime minister being interviewed by Kirsty Wark.

Of course we cannot help how we look but we can help how we act. Nearly all heads of state in their university days belonged to clubs, sometimes dining-clubs sometimes more sinister and secret organisations. David Cameron belonged to the infamous Bullingdon Club (dining) to which George Osborne and Boris Johnson also belonged, George W. Bush belonged to the Skull and Bones (sinister) and Tony Blair belonged to the Oxford University Archery Dining Club. As to youthful indiscretions we probably all did silly things when young, though not many of us have matured into taking a country, which once had a passable reputation abroad, into an illegal war. There is one photograph Tony Blair has reportedly said he would not care if he never saw again. But that is not fair to those who have never seen it. So here it is. It was taken at a gathering of Oxford University Archery Dining Club undergraduates. Blair is the long-haired student centre back making a rude gesture.